Laundry apparatus



Sept. 2, 1969 HUBBARD ETAL 3,464,239

LAUNDRY APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 25. 1967 INVENTORI' JAM/[I A". #055,090

L/U/IA 5. Ri/fl Sept. 2, 1969 HUBBARD ETAL 3,464,239

LAUNDRY APPARATUS Filed Sept. 25. 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 AGI/VT 3,464,239 Patented Sept. 2, 1969 U.S. Cl. 68-134 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An oscillatable agitator for a vertical axis washing machine includes a central, vertically extending post provided with upper, vertically and radially extending vanes, and lower, vertically and radially extending vanes of greater radius than, and angularly spaced with respect to, the upper vanes. Helical, angularly spaced vane sections, interconnect, and are of lesser radius than, corresponding upper and lower vanes.

Background of the invention This invention relates to laundry apparatus, and more particularly to agitator means for a washing machine.

In a typical vertical axis washing machine, an agitator provided with a vertically extending central post having thereon generally radially presented, vertically extending vanes, is mounted within a tub or basket for oscillatable movements about the vertical axis of the central post. Such movements impart action to, or agitate, both the wash-fluid and the clothes in the tub, in achievement of programmed washing and rinsing phases, and it is desirable that all clothes within the tub be agitated uniformly. An important consideration in the achievement of uniform agitation is the provision of frequent clothes turnover, inasmuch as all clothes are not subjected to the action of the agitator at any one instant. The present invention has as its general objective the provision of an improved agitator construction that achieves substantial clothes-load turnover to ensure substantially uniform agitation of all clothes in the tub.

Summary of the invention In achievement of the foregoing as well as other objectives of the invention, it is contemplated that an improved agitator of the oscillatable type include a central vertically extending shaft portion, a plurality of uppers, circumferentially spaced vanes extending radially from the shaft portion, a like number of lower, circumferentially spaced vanes displaced angularly with respect to the upper vanes and also extending radially from the shaft portion, and a like number of helically shaped vanes on the shaft portion interconnecting the upper and lower vanes.

Advantageously, the several vane sections are so cooperably disposed as to enhance washing action through both improved clothes-load turnover and increased activity of the wash fluid with respect to the clothes-load.

The foregoing as well as other objectives and advantages of the invention will be more clearly understood upon consideration of the following description, taken in light of the accompanying drawing.

Brief description of the drawing FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of laundry apparatus embodying the invention, with parts broken away or removed for the sake of emphasis of novel features of construction;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a portion of the apparatus seen in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective showing of apparatus seen in FIGURES 1 and 2, but as viewed from a slightly different rotational angle;

FIGURE 4 is an elevational showing of the apparatus illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view, similar to FIGURE 2, of a modified embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of apparatus seen in FIGURE 5; and

FIGURE 7 is an elevational view of the apparatus illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6.

Description of the preferred embodiment With more detailed reference to the drawing, and first to FIGURE 1, a washing machine 10 of the vertical axis type includes a generally cylindrical, open-top tub 11 and a rotatable, perforate basket 12 disposed therein. Under one condition of operation, the basket and agitator may be rotated at a relatively high rate of speed to centrifuge wash-fluid from clothes. Under another condition of operation, the basket may be held stationary while agitator 13 is oscillated in achievement of either a washing or a rinsing action. Mechanism for spinning the basket and agitator, and for operating the agitator while preventing rotation of the basket, includes a suitable transmission 15 and a drive motor 14 connected thereto by a pulley and belt assembly 16. Mechanism of the above-described type is well known in the art, and further, detailed description thereof is not necessary for an understanding of the present invention.

With reference also to FIGURES 2, 3 and 4, and in especial accordance with the invention, agitator 13 includes a central post portion 17 provided with an upper set of three vertically extending radial vanes 21 preferably spaced apart, and a lower set of vertically extending radial vanes 22 also spaced 120 apart, and rotated (when viewed in plan) substantially 60 with respect to the upper vanes. The upper vanes 21 are of lesser radius than the lower vanes 22, and corresponding upper and lower vanes are interconnected by helical vane sections 23 of lesser radial extension than either of vanes 21 and 22.

Lower edge portions of vanes 22 are interconnected by a downwardly flaring skirt portion 24 that is concentric with the central post portion 17, and extends over the bottom of basket 12, in closely spaced relation thereto.

In operation of the apparatus, and with reference to FIGURES l and 4, basket 12 is filled with clothes followed by introduction of wash fluid into the basket, in accordance with known practice, and until the tub is filled substantially to the level indicated by the line L in FIGURE 4. The agitator of the present invention affords several wash-fluid and clothes activity Zones designated generally by the letters A, B and C as applied to FIGURE 4. It will be appreciated that, upon oscillation of agitator 13, radial vanes 21 provide an activity zone labelled A that is characterized by both surface wash-fluid activity and surface clothes action; helical vanes 23 provide an activity zone labelled B that is characterized by promotion of clothes rotation around basket 12; and radial vanes 22 provide an activity zone labelled C that is characterized by promotion of a high clothes turnover rate at both lower and higher load densities. The term turnover refers generally to action imparted to the toroidal mass of clothes wherein the clothes tend to move radially inwardly at the surface, down along the agitator post, radially outwardly across the bottom of basket, thence up the sides of the latter.

The several activity zones A, B, and C taken together achieve a clothes and wash fluid motion characterized by toroidal movement of a rotating annular mass of clothes and fluid, wherein the surface of the wash fluid is relatively active. In tests of apparatus embodying the invention, the above described combined clothes and fluid activity advantageously has resulted in remarkably consistent degrees of soil removal and clothes action for various olothes loading conditions. Moreover, the presently disclosed agitator has been found to achieve its highly effective action with little or no tangling of clothes. These same improved performance characteristics have been achieved with agitator means embodying the invention and operated over a variety of agitator frequencies and stroke distances.

It will therefore be appreciated that the above-disclosed agitator construction, as well as achieving improved washing action, is compatible with various degrees of clothes loads, particularly those loads ranging from extremely light to extremely heavy. Whereas lighter clothes loads have presented lesser difliculties in previous machines, heavier loads have presented considerable difliculties arising from a tendency of the clothes to smother the agitators action. In tests ranging from light to heavy clothes loads, the present agitator has exhibited superior performance characteristics, including improved washability and clothes turnover.

Still with reference to the washing action, particularly heavy clothes loads are characteristically heavily packed about the agitator, making it difficult, among other things, to wet completely the upper surfaces of the clothes, thereby retarding complete immersion of the clothes. Agitator 13, in especial accordance with the invention, overcomes this problem through creation of a radially directed, fluid splashing action by the shorter upper vanes 21. This radially directed fluid impinges on, and tends to weigh down the upper layer of clothes so that they become immersed, thus enhancing turnover. It has also been observed that these same upper vanes, in cooperation with the helical vanes of 'lesser radial extension, tend to do away with flotationa phenomenon caused by pockets of air entrapped in the clothes under both heavy and light loading. This same surface activity of the wash fluid minimizes considerably the tendency of scum formation over upper, exposed surfaces of both the wash fluid and the clothes.

It will therefore be appreciated that the agitator construction contemplated by the present invention achieves improved washing action over that of agitator construction characteristic of the prior art.

In the modified embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 5, 6 and 7, agitator 113 comprises a center post or shaft 117 that supports a set of upper radial vanes 121 and a set of lower radial vanes 122. Corresponding ones of the upper and lower vanes are connected by helical vane sections 123. The relative angular positioning of these vanes is substantially the same as the relative positioning of the vanes of the embodiment shown in FIGURES l to 4. A downwardly flaring .4 skirt124 is provided at the lower end of .post 117, and aifords partial support of vanes 122. In this embodiment, each of the lower vanes 122 is undercut with respect to skirt 124 to such an extent that substantial portions thereof are free to flex about axes designated by the transversely extending broken lines D applied to FIGURE 7. Preferably, agitator 113 is molded from polypropylene, a material which hasbeen found suitable for providing the desired flexing action.

The modified embodiment of the invention exhibits the same improved washing action as does the first described embodiment, and is further characterized by lessened torque loading of the motor and transmission.

This latter improvement stemsfrom flexure of lower vanes 122 as the agitator is oscillated about its vertically extending axis.

We claim:

1. For use in laundry apparatus, an agitator of the oscillatable type, comprising: a central, vertically extending shaft portion; a plurality of upper, circumferentially spaced vane sections, each extendin'ggenerally radially from said shaft portion in a generally vertical plane; a corresponding number of lower, circumferentially spaced vane sections displaced angularly with respect to the upper vane sections and each lower vane section extending generally radially from said shaft portion in a generally vertical plane, said lower vane sections further being of greater radial extension than said upper vane sections; and a plurality of helically shaped vane sections on said shaft portion, each interconnecting a pair of upper and lower vane sections, said helically shaped vane sections being of lesser radial extension than said upper and lower vane sections.

2. An agitator according to claim 1, and further characterized by the provision of a skirt portion concentric with said shaft portion and extending between portions of said lower vane sections.

3. An agitator according to claim 2 and characterized further in that portions of said lower vane sections are free of contact with said skirt portions and are resilient to accommodate flexing of said free portions.

4. An agitator according to claim 1 and further characterized in that at least said lower vane sections are of flexible and resilient material.

. References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,300,055 10/1942 McCabe 68-434 X 3,381,504 5/1968 Smith 68-134 X FOREIGN PATENTS 156,108 4/ 1954 Australia.

SWILLIAM 1. PRICE, Primary Examiner 

